05/22/2013 14:35 GMT

HOMS, Syria, May 22, 2013 (AFP) - The conflict in Syria has displaced more than two-thirds of Palestinian refugees living in the country, the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine refugees said on Wednesday.

"We have registered approximately 530,000 Palestinian refugees. We believe that almost all of them, certainly maybe 70-80 percent, are displaced from their normal homes," UNRWA Commissioner General Filippo Grandi told AFP on a visit to Syria.

Since Israel tightened its closure of the Gaza Strip in 2007, severely restricting the import of fuel and construction materials, repairing and maintaining the waste management facilities to meet the needs of the people of the Gaza Strip has become near impossible. Sanitation conditions are rapidly deteriorating and, if the problem is not rapidly addressed, this could have a major impact on the health of the people of the Gaza Strip.

In the midst of conflict, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) is doing its best to support the continued education of students in Syria.

Students in the country have faced mounting obstacles in pursuing education, with thousands fleeing the violence and others unable to access their schools since the beginning of the three-year-old conflict.

As the end of the year approaches, many of them are worried about the upcoming exams, but are determined to take them and continue with their schooling.

UNRWA health programme hard hit in Syria but the UN agency's work is having an impact

Today, during the World Health Organization’s sixty sixth’s Annual World Health Summit, UNRWA released its Health Department 2012 Annual Report. The publication reflects on the operational challenges, the Agency has faced with rolling out an ongoing health reform and managing regular services during times of conflict.

Highlights

• A total of 2,000 very small and micro enterprises have received financing to expand their enterprises.

• The total value of loans issued by the programme to MFIs is US $6.35 million.

• The success rate for enterprises operating and providing households with sufficient income is 88 percent.

• 29.5 percent of women and 18.8 percent of men are unemployed in the occupied Palestinian territory.

At one elementary school in a Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon, teacher Fakhrieh Al Zaabouti was saddened when a 7-year-old child arrived to school in tears. “His left shoe was torn apart and he was so upset.” But, his tears soon turned to joy when he received his new pair of TOMS Shoes.

This is ANERA’s first delivery of TOMS Shoes in Lebanon.

GAZA, May 19 (KUNA) -- The Palestinian government in Gaza, headed by Hamas leader Ismail Haniya, confirmed Sunday that it has received assurances from Egypt regarding efforts to find a solution on the closure of Rafah Crossing.

Haniya is following up closely developments around the clock regarding the Rafah Crossing with the Egyptian side, Taher Al-Nono, government's spokesman, said in a statement.

Planned Change is Useful Step but Inadequate

Highlights

Nearly half of the 6.8 million people affected by the crisis in Syria are children. Over 1.5 million Syrians have already fled into neighboring countries. All are in urgent need of assistance. During the reporting period UNICEF and partners scaled up efforts in support of national immunization campaigns, ensuring that children across all affected countries continue to be vaccinated against preventable diseases.